Shorty Shorts
by Ognawk Jones
Summary: A collection of short Daria fics that were created for various threads on the PPMB, such as Iron Chefs, Crossovers and so on.
1. If I Can't Have You

_DISCLAIMER: Daria and associated characters are owned by MTV. This is for entertainment purposes only and no money or other goods have been exchanged._

_This story was written for the '1,001 Deaths of Tom Sloane – Part II' thread on the PPMB. The character of Cassidy Hemming was created by Ognawk and first appeared in the fic "The Great and The Good"_

* * *

**IF I CAN'T HAVE YOU...**

Cassidy entered the park and made her way towards the bench by the pond, where she knew Tom was meeting someone. She braced herself for the worst and, as she looked ahead, she saw it. Jane was there, and she was kissing Tom. _Her_ Tom. In a rage, she stormed over to them.

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?" she shouted, causing Tom and Jane to quickly separate.

"Cassidy! What are you doing here?" Tom asked in surprise.

"I'll ask you again. What the hell is going on here?"

"I'm sorry, Cassidy. There's no way to tell you this, but... I love Jane."

Cassidy's face twitched, and she slowly approached Tom, getting in between him and Jane. "What did you just say?"

"I.. said I love Jane."

Cassidy closed her eyes tightly. "What did you say?"

"Are you deaf or something?" Jane asked, "He said he loves me."

Cassidy scowled and turned to face Jane. "Did I ask for your opinion, you harlot? Get the hell out of here, before I do something I'm going to regret."

"I'm not going..."

"Jane," Tom said, interrupting Jane and causing her to look straight at him, "Just go. I'll take care of this and I'll see you later."

Jane looked uneasy at Tom's suggestion, but he nodded to her and she took that as her cue to leave. Tom then turned his attention to Cassidy, who put an arm around the back of his neck and ruffled his hair with her other hand.

"You love her?"

"I'm sorry, Cassidy. I can't help how I feel."

Cassidy closed her eyes tightly and pressed her forehead against Tom's, a sad expression on her face. "But what about _me_? I love you, Thomas."

"I do care about you, Cassidy, but I love Jane. I can't help it."

"But I love you Tom," Cassidy replied, her voice wavering slightly, "So tell me, why must you hurt me so?"

"I didn't mean..."

"Why do you hurt me so, Tom?" Cassidy said in a slightly menacing tone.

Tom had no answer. He didn't get time to answer, because Cassidy immediately kneed him in the crotch, and he dropped to his own knees in pain.

"You see Tom, you hurt me badly," Cassidy said, a cold, emotionless look in her eyes as she stepped back slightly, "And now I have to hurt _you!_"

Cassidy grabbed Tom by the hair and kicked him in the head several times. She then rammed his head into the nearby bench. Tom was extremely groggy by now, and suddenly scared by Cassidy's anger and surprised by her strength as she dragged him in the direction of the pond.

"If I can't have you, then no-one will," she said as she got him to the edge of the pond and pushed his head under the water, holding it there for a moment before pulling it back up.

"Cass... Cassidy," he tried to say, choking on the water, "I'm sorry, please..."

"I'm afraid it's much too late for that now, Thomas," Cassidy said as she pushed his head back under the water again.

Tom flailed his arms around, desperately trying to hit Cassidy and try to break free, but it was no use. His struggling started to weaken until it eventually stopped completely. She then pulled his head out of the water and laid his limp body out next to the pond. She kneeled by his side and stroked his wet hair, her hands shaking and tears forming in her eyes.

"We could have been so good together Tom," she said, as she leaned over and kissed him on the forehead, "It's a shame you couldn't see that."

With that, Cassidy stood up, and looked down at her former boyfriend one last time before quickly walking away.


	2. Well, Since You Asked

_DISCLAIMER: Daria, Beavis and Butt-Head and associated characters are owned by MTV. This is for entertainment purposes only and no money or other goods have been exchanged for this._

_This story was written for the '1,001 Deaths of Tom Sloane – Part II' thread on the PPMB, and was inspired by LongSnakeMoan's fic "Of All The People That Won't Be Missed"_

* * *

**WELL, SINCE YOU ASKED**

As Jane and Tom sat on the swings, Jane thought about the crazy events of the last week. It had been a week ago that Daria had told Jane that she kissed Tom. Jane's immediate thought had been to run and confront the bastard, but along the way, something happened. Or rather, some_one_ happened. Someone who had made Jane feel happier in one week than Tom had ever made her feel in the last year. She knew before she came here that her relationship with Tom was going nowhere. But today, she would end it definitively.

"Look, just... all that time, were you going out with me just to get to Daria?" she asked.

"Are you crazy?" he replied.

"Well, since you asked..."

Jane tilted her head to the side slightly and grinned. Tom noticed a glint in her eye he'd never seen before. In the next instant, before he had a chance to even react, Jane had reached into her jacket, pulled out a gun and shot him right in the head, killing him instantly. Jane got up from the swing and watched her ex-boyfriend's body slump to the ground.

"Yes, I am crazy. But not about you Tom," Jane said, as she laughed, put the gun away and jogged down the side entrance to the Sloane house.

Once she got to the driveway, she looked around before noticing what she was seeking. She jogged down to the red, slightly battered car at the end of the road, and got in the passenger door. She immediately looked at the rugged, muscular man with long blonde hair and sunglasses sat in the driver's seat.

"Hey, Todd."

"Hey, baby," Todd replied, "You take care of your business?"

"Oh yeah," Jane said, taking her gun out of her jacket again and gently stroking the barrel, "Me and him are finished. Permanently."

"Good," Todd said, as he reached over and gave Jane a long kiss, "Smug, rich piece of **** didn't deserve a goddess like you anyway."

Jane smirked. "Let's get out of here, baby. We got some more business to attend to."


	3. The Kiss Of Death

_**AUTHORS NOTES:**__ This is another contribution to the '1,001 Deaths of Tom Sloane – Part II' thread on the PPMB. This one was inspired by a suggestion from 917brat._

_**DISCLAIMER:**__ Daria and all associated characters are owned by MTV. This is for entertainment purposes only. No money or other goods have changed hands._

* * *

**THE KISS OF DEATH**

Tom and Daria were sat in his car, talking about Jane and their so called "situation".

"I'm not interested in you, and I'd be stabbing my friend in the back if I even considered it," Daria said, looking away from Tom.

"Exactly. And what kind of a jerk would that make me?" Tom replied.

"Exactly."

"Alright then."

"OK."

Suddenly, Tom reached over and kissed Daria, taking her completely by surprise.

"Dammit! Dammit dammit dammit!" she said as he pulled away.

"I liked it too," Tom replied, rubbing his hair.

Suddenly, something flipped in Daria's mind. Tom was expecting her lips to meet his again. Much to his shock, and much too quickly for him to defend himself, his lips instead met with Daria's fist as she started punching him in the face hard, and repeatedly.

"NO!" she screamed as she hammered his face, "I WON'T BE TAKEN ADVANTAGE OF AGAIN! LET ME GO!"

Meanwhile Jane, who had decided to go out for a run, noticed Tom's car and saw Daria punching Tom and quickly jogged over to them.

"Daria! Stop it! Stop it!" she shouted as she pulled her angry friend out of the car. As Daria hit the sidewalk, she suddenly started breathing deeply and had a look like she'd suddenly woken up.

"Oh God. Where am I?" she said, shaking her head as she noticed Jane stood over her.

"What the hell is wrong with you, Daria?" she asked, "Did you think I'd be happier with you punching Tom in the face instead of making out with him?"

"Don't know what happened," Daria said as she kept breathing heavily, "Red mist, Highland, horrible flashbacks, guys jumping me."

Jane stared at her friend, confused. Then a realisation hit her as she spun around to the car. "TOM!"

Tom was slumped in the driver seat in his car. He wasn't moving and his face was a mess of crimson. Jane got into the car and patted his face.

"Tom? Wake up Tom!" Jane said. She grabbed his wrist and immediately knew something was very wrong. "Oh my God! Daria, he's dead!"


	4. The Great And The Good: Not Gonna Look

**Authors Note**: This is a very short side fic to 'The Great And The Good'. Ashley is Daria's boyfriend in that fic.

_DISCLAIMER: Daria and all associated characters are owned by MTV. This is for entertainment purposes only. No money or other goods have been exchanged._**  
**

* * *

**THE GREAT AND THE GOOD: NOT GONNA LOOK  
By Ognawk**

Quinn returned home after her date to find the ground floor of the house empty and dark. _Mom and Dad still aren't home yet_, she thought as she made her way upstairs. About halfway up, she saw Ashley coming down the stairs. He was wearing socks and a t-shirt that was half tucked into his boxer shorts, and his hair was messy. He was carrying two ice cream dishes.

"Hey, Quinn!" he said with a big smile on his face, "Excuse me, I need to put these away."

Quinn stood still for a moment as he went past her. As she got to the top of the stairs, she noticed Daria's bedroom door open slightly.

"Not gonna look, not gonna look, not gonna look," she muttered as she walked past.

"Hey Quinn," Daria said from her room, "Could you help me out with something?"

Quinn sighed. "God, Daria, I just got home."

"I'm having trouble fastening my bra up. Can you get it for me?"

Quinn's eyes widened. "Ewwwwww! No way!"

Quinn quickly ran to her room and closed the door as Ashley came back up the stairs. He walked into Daria's room and closed the door as she was sat there at her computer, fully clothed. The two of them looked at each other and, unable to keep straight faces, cracked up with laughter.


	5. Love Kills

_**AUTHORS NOTES: **This was written for the '1,001 Deaths of Tom Sloane - Part II' thread on the PPMB. Ashley and Cassidy are my own created characters and originally appeared in 'The Great And The Good'_

_Daria and all associated characters owned by MTV. This is for entertainment purposes only. No money or other goods have been exchanged for this._

* * *

**LOVE KILLS**

Cassidy and Tom were stood in a secluded area of Fielding, well out of the way of the other students.

"Look, Cassidy, I've got problems with Jane. I'm not interested in dating you right now," Tom said.

"Well, if Jane cheated on you, I'd say the timing was perfect," Cassidy said with a smile.

Just then, Ashley ran up to where they were, brandishing a dictaphone.

"Ashley, what are you doing here?" Tom asked.

"I know I said I'd keep it between us, but I can't anymore," he said, turning to face Cassidy, "Cassidy, I know you plotted to have me and Jane kiss so you could get with Tom. The tape in here proves it."

Cassidy raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Very clever. Who told you, then? Allison?"

"Yeah, she confessed everything, and I recorded the whole thing without her knowing."

Much to Tom's surprise, a big smirk spread across Cassidy's face. "I never knew you were so... cunning. I like that," she said, as she stroked a finger up Ashley's chest.

Tom's surprise turned to shock as he noticed Ashley grinning. "It was quite a scheme you came up with. You're a bit of a bad girl. I think I like that."

Cassidy smiled at him and pulled him close. "Well, I think you'll like this."

Tom watched in horror as the two of them started passionately making out right in front of him.

"What the hell are you two doing? Ashley, what about Daria? Come on man!"

Neither of them paid attention to him, they were too lost in each other. Tom desperately tried to pull them apart.

"Stop it! This is wrong. You two don't like each other. You shouldn't be doing this!"

Eventually, the two of them came up for air, but their eyes were still locked on each other. Ashley frowned as Tom watched on.

"This boy doesn't know when to shut up, does he?" Ashley said.

"No. He really doesn't," Cassidy replied.

"Well, I'd better be off. Later Tom, Cassie," Ashley said as he jogged off.

Tom looked directly at Cassidy as she watched Ashley leave, a smile on her face as she wiped her finger against her lips.

"I thought I knew him. I'm beginning to think him kissing Jane wasn't an accident. Still, I suppose after that, I shouldn't be worried about you pestering me for dates anymore," Tom said.

Cassidy looked at Tom and frowned. "No, you shouldn't be worried about me. But you should be worried about _him_."

Unbeknownst to Tom, Ashley had crept up on him from behind and grabbed him by the head.

"It's a shame you turned down a girl like Cassidy, Tom, she's a _real_ good kisser. But you have to pay for disrespecting her like that."

Before Tom could speak again, Ashley snapped his neck, and then let go of him as his body crumpled to the ground. Ashley then stepped over Tom and embraced Cassidy as she smiled.

"Now, where were we?" she said as they engaged in another liplock.


	6. Out With The Old

_Disclaimer: Daria and associated characters are owned by MTV. This is for entertainment purposes only and no money or other goods have changed hands._

* * *

**OUT WITH THE OLD**

Sandi Griffin steeled herself as she made her way to the locker area after another day in Lawndale High. She was dressed in pretty simple attire. Blue jeans, and a black t-shirt that was slightly too big. Her long brown hair was tidy, but she didn't make the effort she usually did. There wasn't much point. Not with _them_ around.

As she made her way to the lockers, she saw who she was looking for. That weird art chick in the year above her, Jane. She walked up to Jane as she was putting her books back in her locker.

"Like, um, Jane?"

Jane looked at the disheveled looking figure before her. Hardly the figure of regality she used to be. "If it isn't the former fashion Queen of Lawndale High. What do you want?"

"Um, I kind of wanted some advice. Like, how do you cope with not talking to anyone?"

Jane raised an eyebrow as she closed her locker. "Clearly not very well, if I'm talking to you."

"But, I mean, how do you cope with not being popular?"

"Well, I choose only to associate with people I find interesting. I don't find most of the people here interesting, so I don't talk to them."

Before Sandi could reply, she saw them walking down the hall. The current members of the Fashion Club. _Her_ club that she'd founded and now been evicted from. At the back, the two she founded the club with, Co-ordination Officer Tiffany Blum-Deckler and Secretary Stacy Rowe. Traitors, as far as Sandi was concerned. Then, in front, there were the newcomers. The ones who kicked her out and declared themselves co-presidents of the club. First, Quinn Morgendorffer, dressed in jeans and a pink baby tee with a smily face and a halo on it, her long red hair bouncing as she walked. Then, the other co-president, Quinn's older sister Daria Morgendorffer. She was dressed in a yellow tank top with black denim jacket and matching jeans. She had straight, long auburn hair and stylish oval rimmed glasses that gave her a look of elegance.

Quinn shot Sandi a disapproving look as the four of them walked by. "Ugh, what is she wearing?"

Daria looked at her sister and smirked. "You two seriously thought someone like _that_ would be a good idea for President of a fashion club?"

"Oh God, what were we thinking?" Stacy said nervously.

"She looooooks so tiiiiired," Tiffany said with her usual slow drawl.

"Well, everyone makes mistakes," Daria said, "The important thing is that we learn from them."

Sandi watched them leave with disdain.

"Well, it's been fun and all, but I've got a self-esteem class to head to," Jane said.

"You're in that too? Mind if I come with you?" Sandi asked.

Jane shrugged. "I guess so," she said as they both made their way to class.


	7. Death Comes To Another Lawndale - Part 9

_**AUTHORS NOTES: **This short fic was written as part of 'Death Comes To Another Lawndale', a thread started on the PPMB (Paper Pusher Message Board) by Precambrian Studios._

_The character Elaine Swinton was created by Ognawk, and first appeared in 'The Great And The Good'_

_**DISCLAIMER: **Daria and all associated characters are owned by MTV. This is for entertainment purposes only and no money or other goods were exchanged for this._

* * *

**DEATH COMES TO ANOTHER LAWNDALE**_  
**Part 9**  
_

**S**

Elaine Swinton grumbled as she adjusted the apron that was part of her Payday uniform. She never expected to come down to this level. After all, she was Elaine Swinton, daughter of Carlos Swinton Jr, media mogul and owner of Swinton Media Enterprises. She was due to take over the family business when her father retired, and working in some discount warehouse store was way below her station.

That was the main reason she was in this job in the first place. Her father felt that she had gotten too big for her boots, and that she felt she was better than everyone. So, he'd forced her into this job to teach her some humility, and to give her a glimpse of how less well off people lived.

Today was Black Friday, which Elaine had heard horror stories of. People getting trampled to death in the rush to grab a bargain and other such stories. As she made her way across the shop floor, she was approached by one of her colleagues, the goth girl Andrea, who apparently hated the place as much as she did.

"Hey, Elaine? There's been a change of plan. They want you in the Electronics section when we open," she said.

"Better than being in cosmetics, I guess," Elaine said with a resigned sigh as she made her way over there.

Electronics were nearer the door, and she was a little concerned about being crushed in the stampede as the doors opened. She needn't have worried about that, though. She should have been more worried about the slightly haphazard stack of 60 inch plasma TVs that had been stacked way too high. As the crowd entered, in the rush, the TVs toppled over and crushed Elaine underneath.

**Death Comes To Another Lawndale**


	8. Retro Is Dead

_**AUTHORS NOTES: **This story was inspired by LongSnakeMoan's fic 'Of All The People That Won't Be Missed' This story contains lyrics from the song 'Supermassive Black Hole' by Muse._

_**DISCLAIMER: **Daria, Beavis and Butt-Head and all related characters are owned by MTV. This is for entertainment purposes only and no money or other goods have been exchanged for this._

* * *

**RETRO IS DEAD**

It was a cool evening in Lawndale, and Nathan had decided to head out for a stroll. He was dressed in one his favourite outfits, a yellow zoot suit with matching hat. Walking past a store, he caught his reflection in the glass and did a quick hair check. Satisfied with the results, he continued walking past the parking lot behind. He looked and noticed a single, worn looking red car with a passenger sat in it. The passenger looked familiar to him. Deciding to check it out, he got closer and there was no mistaking it. That black triangular looking haircut, the three rings in her ear, the ruby red lips. He walked over to her.

"Jane Lane," he said as he got close to the door.

_Great, it's this jack***_, Jane thought as she turned and gave him a completely disinterested look. "Nathan."

"What's a dame like you doing sat in a run down pile of junk like this?" he asked.

Jane pulled a photo out of her pocket and smiled as she looked at it. "Just waiting for my man to pick up some beer."

Nathan took a look at the photo. It was of a man with long, blonde hair, sunglasses and stubble on his grizzled chin. He was smirking and holding a gun up.

"This your guy?"

"Yeah," Jane said, with a big grin, still not looking at Nathan, "He's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen."

Nathan snorted, which got Jane's attention again as she turned to him, mouth turned down and eyebrow raised.

"You know, I used to think you were a classy dame, but you hang around in a battered car, drinking beer with a scumbag like that? You were never going to keep up with me, sweetheart."

Jane was scowling now. "You better be careful how you talk about my husband, Nathan."

"Why, what's he going to... husband?" Nathan said as Jane's words registered with him.

Jane grinned and held up her hand, showing off her ring. "Yeah, husband. Say hello to Jane Ianuzzi."

"A fast mover, huh?" Nathan said.

"Why wait when you're made for each other," Jane said, looking slightly past Nathan, "Speaking of which, my husband would like a word."

"Huh?"

Nathan turned around and saw the man in the photograph, beers in one hand and a pistol in the other. The man looked furious, and Nathan suddenly got worried.

"Nathan, meet my beautiful man, Todd," Jane said with a smirk, "Baby, this is Nathan."

Before Nathan could say anything, Todd pistol whipped him in the side of the head, knocking him unconscious, before putting the pistol away. Jane grinned as she hopped out of the car and ran towards Todd, who grabbed her with his free arm and swung her around, kissing her deeply. He then put her back down.

"Who the **** is this ***hole?" Todd asked, glaring at the unconscious Nathan.

"Oh, some retro poser jerk I used to date. Was kind of hoping I'd never see the bastard again," Jane explained.

"Oh, I'll make damn sure nobody sees him again," Todd said, pulling the pistol out again and taking aim at Nathan's head. He was stopped by Jane pulling his arm down.

"Wait a minute, baby," Jane said with a smile, "I got a better idea."

* * *

Nathan opened his eyes, and winced at the pain in his head. He tried to move his arms and realise he couldn't. As he looked around in a panic, he realised he was tied to a chair. Then, he realised where he was. It was the old abandoned drive in theatre he took Jane and her two downer friends to. And there by the screen, dancing away to the music that was blaring from the car, were Jane and Todd. Jane finally looked over and noticed Nathan.

"Hey baby, looks like our guest in back in the world of the living," Jane said with a smirk.

Todd turned to look and had a smirk of his own. "Not for long," he replied.

Jane walked over to Nathan as Todd changed the CD in the car. Jane got right up to Nathan and smiled as she took his hat off and threw it away.

"Hey, Nathan. Pretty swinging scene, wouldn't you say?" she said, as she ruffled his hair.

"Hey, don't touch my hair," he shouted.

Jane frowned. "Oh, poor Nathan. I don't think you're in a position to be telling me what to do."

Nathan gulped, but put on a defiant front. "So, what are you gonna do to me, huh?"

"Well, you insulted me and my man, so now we have to make you suffer."

With that, the music from the car finally kicked in as Jane smiled and started dancing seductively, singing along to as she did so while Todd watched approvingly.

_Oh baby don't you know I suffer?  
Oh baby can you hear me moan?_

Jane then slapped Nathan hard across the face and continued dancing, she then put her foot on the front of the chair he was sat on and slowly pushed it back until it toppled over and crashed on to its back.  
_  
You caught me under false pretences  
How long before you let me go?_

Jane stood over Nathan, an evil smirk on her face as she pulled a knife and got in close to his face, gently touching the point of the knife on it, close enough for him to feel it, but not close enough to break any skin. She then stood up again and held the knife up before bringing it down into his leg, causing him to scream.  
_  
Oooooh, you set my soul alight  
Oooooh, you set my soul alight_

Jane then danced to the other side of Nathan and brought the knife down in his other leg. She laughed as he writhed in agony, the red of his blood contrasting with the yellow of his pants. Jane then kicked him in the arm, then in the head before moving to the other side of him and doing the same again.

_Glaciers melting in the dead of night  
And the superstars sucked into the supermassive_

Jane grabbed his tie and pulled it tight, Nathan starting to struggle for air. She then cut his tie off with his knife as his head fell back, hitting the concrete. Jane stood over Nathan as Todd walked over and put his arm around Jane's waist, nibbling on her earlobe as she groaned slightly. The two of them pulled Nathan's chair back up and Todd kicked him in the gut. Then, Jane cut the ropes from around his arms and legs and she and Todd stepped away. His limbs now free, Nathan looked at them, confused as to what they were doing.

"What... why...?" he spluttered.

The pair of them looked at him and smirked. "Run, Forrest, Run, before we change our minds and finish you off," Jane said.

Nathan thought for a second, then got up off the chair and tried to run, but the pain in his legs was too much and he fell to the ground. He crawled away as fast as he could, away from Jane's maniacal laughter. After he got a short distance away, Jane ran up and alongside him, keeping pace with him as he crawled.

"Come on, Nathan, I thought you said I couldn't keep up with you."

Nathan was panicking, and Jane finally lost her patience and kicked him hard in the ribs, sending him sprawling. He landed on his back and breathed deeply, knowing the situation was hopeless. Then he saw Todd and Jane standing over him, smiling wickedly.

"Hey Nathan, remember when you told me retro would never die?" Jane asked.

Nathan didn't reply, he just continued breathing. Jane and Todd's faces became deadly serious all of a sudden.

"You were wrong," Jane said, as she and Todd pulled their pistols out and aimed them at his head.

"On three, baby," Jane said, looking at her husband briefly, before looking back at Nathan and smirking, "Three."

With that, they both shot Nathan in the head, ending his suffering once and for all. The couple looked at each other and Jane grinned widely.

"Damn, that felt good," she said, as she put her gun away.

Todd did the same. "I can think of somethin' else that'll make you feel good," he said with a smirk.

With that, he scooped Jane up in his arms and kissed her passionately as they headed back to the car, leaving Nathan's bloodied body on the ground.


	9. Different Tracks

_**DISCLAIMER:** Daria and all associated characters are owned by MTV. This is for entertainment purposes only and no money or other goods have been exchanged._

_Contains dialogue from 'See Jane Run' written by Rachelle Romberg._

* * *

**DIFFERENT TRACKS**

Daria and Jane were in the hallway at Lawndale High. Jane had made the track team recently, and there were perks that went with that, including Jane getting a bye on a Math test, which infuriated Daria.

"Hey, you watched TV with me instead of going to gym," Jane pointed out.

"So?" Daria responded.

"So, that was a perk of being on the team. The math test was another."

"You don't see any difference?" Daria asked in disbelief.

"Yeah, the math test was a hell of a lot better."

"Give me a break," Daria said, walking away.

As Daria left, Evan, one of Jane's team mates, walked up behind her.

"What's up with your friend?" Evan asked.

"Oh, I rubbed her self-righteousness the wrong way," Jane answered.

"I don't know why you hang out with her."

"What do you mean?" Jane asked, looking at him.

"Well, you're sort of a sports star now. It's not so cool to be hanging around with... you know, losers."

Jane thought about it for a moment. She had been a lot more popular with people lately, and much to her surprise, she didn't hate it. In fact, she kind of liked it.

"Yeah, you're right. I've been spending too much time with losers," she said.

"I'm glad you see it my way," Evan said as the two of them walked off together.

* * *

Daria was lying on her bed, deep in thought. She hadn't had a conversation with Jane in a few months. Not since they had a big argument over Jane's continued participation in track team, which ended in a big rant from Jane.

"You know what your problem is, Morgendorffer? You're being pissy because I'm not conforming to your ideal of misanthropy. I tried something new, I liked it, and I continue to like it. I don't want to stick around you if you're going to snipe and bitch at me for doing something different. I've realised that if you don't try something new, you might miss out on something you didn't know you liked. But you know, if you want to continue to mope and mock people for joining in, then go ahead. You're going to be very miserable."

Daria had only ever seen Jane with Evan, who she was now dating. Daria had tried to apologize, but Jane ignored her, so she just gave up. Her thoughts were interrupted by Jake shouting from downstairs.

"Hey, kiddo, there's someone on the phone for you," he shouted.

Daria was surprised. For me? She picked up the phone next to her bed.

"OK, I got it!" she shouted down, as she heard the click of the downstairs phone, "Hello?"

A familiar voice came from the other end. "Hey, Daria."

"Hey, Trent," she replied wearily.

"How you holding up?" Trent asked.

"Not so good. I tried talking to Jane, but she's ignoring me."

"She'll come around, Daria. Don't worry about it."

"I hope she does."

"Hey, the Spiral are performing a set this Friday at The Zon if you wanna come along."

Daria thought about it. "I don't know. Will Jane be there?"

"Nah, she's going out with that Evan guy."

Of course, Daria thought.

"Come on, Daria, I'll give you a lift. What do you say?" Trent asked.

"Alright. I guess I won't think about Jane so much if my ears are bleeding."

Trent laughed and started coughing. "Good one, Daria. See you Friday."

"Yeah. See you, Trent."

* * *

Daria was stood in the middle of The Zon, soda in hand while Mystik Spiral were playing on stage. I guess it's good to get out of the house once in a while, she thought. She didn't notice that, at the side of the Zon, a guy was watching her. She turned around and noticed him midway through Mr Normal. He had medium length black hair and was dressed in a black jumper, grey pants and black and white sneakers. The guy smiled as Daria looked back at him, unsure what to make of him.

Hey Mr. Normal, it was you!

"We're Mystik Spiral, and that was the end of the first set. We'll be back later for another set," Trent said as the band left the stage.

At that point, the guy who smiled at Daria walked over to her. Wonder what his deal is, she thought to herself, gotta admit, though, he is kinda cute.

"Hey," the guy said.

"Hi," Daria replied.

"You a fan of the band?" he asked.

"Actually, I'm more into techno country. What about you?"

"I'm more an industrial classic man. If you listen closely enough, you can actually hear the guitars screaming."

Daria chuckled at that comment.

"So seriously, why are you here?" he asked.

"My friend is in the band," she replied.

"Cool. My name's Tom, by the way," he said.

I'm Esmerelda, she thought. "I'm Daria," she said.

"Nice to meet you, Daria," Tom said with a smile, "You here with anyone?"

"No, I came with the band. I'm their stylist. And their style is 'Post Nuclear-Apocalypse'"

Tom laughed at that. Daria found herself smiling too.

"So, you wanna go get something to eat?" Tom asked.

"Do you have a car or something?" she replied.

"Well, if you can call a rusting, potentially explosive heap of junk on wheels a car, then I guess so."

I don't like the sound of that, she thought. Then she remembered Jane's words.

"If you don't try something new, you might miss out on something you didn't know you liked."

"Sure, I could go for some dead meat right about now," Daria replied, as she saw Trent approaching, "Just let me tell Trent."

"Hey, Daria," he said.

"Hey Trent. This is Tom. We're heading out for something to eat, but we're probably going to miss the second set."

"Don't worry about it, Daria. I wouldn't stay for the second set myself if I wasn't in the band."

The three of them chuckled.

"OK, see you later, Trent."

"Bye, Daria," Trent said as he watched Daria and Tom leave together and smiled.


	10. Sleep To Dream Him

_**DISCLAIMER:** Daria, Beavis and Butthead and all associated characters are owned by MTV. This is for entertainment purposes only and no money or other goods have changed hands for this._

* * *

**SLEEP TO DREAM HIM**

Jane slid back under the covers and got up close to the man in bed with her. She looked at his rugged face with contentment. His deep blue eyes, his long blonde hair and his stubble that she just loved to rub with her hand. She smiled at him, and he smiled back.

"I could get used to this," she said.

"Yeah, it's pretty damn cozy under here, and you're a damn pretty woman," he replied.

"You're not so bad yourself," she said with a smirk.

They lay there for a moment, just looking at each other in blissful happiness, then he leaned in for a kiss. He'd only been in her life for a few weeks, but she'd never felt so happy with life.

"I love you, Jane," he said to her.

"I love you, too. But you know, I don't even know your name," she replied.

The man chuckled. "You never asked, baby."

"Are you going to tell me, then?" she asked with the most silly, sweet smile she could muster.

"Sure, my name is... Greg Radcliffe and you're listening to Mornings Rock on Alt Lawndale FM, your number 1 alternative music station in the southern Maryland area..."

Jane woke up and grumbled at the radio alarm as she switched it off and swung her legs out from under the bed. She looked behind her to notice with sadness there was no-one else with her. _Dammit, it felt so real_, she thought to herself as she got out of bed. For a couple of months since she'd broken up with Nathan, she'd been having these dreams about a blonde man whose name she didn't know. She sighed and got ready to start her day.

* * *

Daria was sat in a booth at Pizza King as Jane brought a pie over and sat down, both girls taking a slice. Daria was looking a little downbeat.

"What's up, Daria? Still down after your break up with Tom?" Jane asked.

"A little," Daria replied.

Just a week earlier, Daria had ended her relationship with Tom, and although she wasn't happy about it, she knew that it was ultimately for the best. She took a bite of her slice and set it down.

"Well, you'll be heading to Boston for college soon. Getting a head start on little ol' Janey," Jane said with a smirk, "Do me a favour and leave some guys in Boston for me, will ya?"

Daria smiled a little. "I'll try, but I won't make any promises."

They sat eating for a moment before Jane spoke again.

"I had one of those dreams again," Jane said.

"The one where Lawndale High gets burned to the ground with Ms Li still in it?"

"I wish," Jane said, "No, it's that guy that I've had in my dreams for months. I feel like I should know him from somewhere, but I don't where."

"Do you see what he looks like?"

Jane smiled. "Quite tall. Well built, long blond hair, stubble and shades. Usually wears a blue shirt."

Daria thought for a moment. Something about this guy sounded familiar, but she couldn't place him.

"Maybe he's from a TV show or something. Doesn't sound like the sort of guy I'd go for, though."

"So if he somehow becomes real, you wouldn't try and take him from me?" Jane said with a smirk.

"Depends how he looks in the flesh," Daria said, returning the smirk.

"Anyway, enough about dream boyfriends, are you free to get up to some shenanigans with a fellow rapscallion this weekend?" Jane asked.

"Sorry, family commitments. My Grandma wants to see me before I leave for Boston, so the whole family is being carted over up there."

"Damn, guess I'll have to make my own entertainment," Jane said.

* * *

It was Saturday morning, and Jane was sat alone in one of Lawndale's local coffee shops. It was busy in there, and she was thankful to get somewhere to sit as she read the Arts section of the Lawndale Herald and sipped on her coffee. A man approached the table, but Jane focussed on her paper.

"Excuse me, is this seat taken?"

Jane sighed slightly. "No, go ahead," she said, not looking up from her paper.

"Thank you," the man said, sitting down and putting his own cup of coffee on the table, "Y'know, it's nice to go somewhere that'll just give you a cup of regular coffee. None of this fancy cappuccino or latte or any of that crap."

"Mm hmm," Jane replied, taking a sip of coffee and still having not looked at the man.

"Something interesting in that paper?" he asked.

Suddenly, Jane noticed that the voice of the man at the table sounded familiar. She finally looked up from her paper and was stunned by what she saw. Sat there was a rugged looking man with long, blonde hair, black shades and a stubbly chin. He was wearing a blue shirt with the name 'Todd' on it. She sat, staring at him for a moment.

"Everything alright? You look like you've seen a ghost," he asked.

"Um... yeah, yeah. Just fine," Jane replied, shaking herself out of her trance. _This is the guy from my dreams, she thought._ She pinched herself and realised that this wasn't a dream. _He's real!_

"Hello, um, Todd?" she said.

"Yup, that's my name," he said with a smirk, "And what might your name be, beautiful?"

"Jane. Jane Lane," she replied with a smile.

"Nice to meet you, Jane," Todd replied.

"That accent doesn't sound local. You new in town?" she asked.

"Yeah, only been here a few weeks. I'm from Texas originally. Had a gang, nothing big, just store robberies and stuff. Decided to go somewhere new and start afresh. So I got a job as a mechanic and here I am. So what's your deal?"

"Well, I just finished High School and I'm off to College in a few months. I'm an artist."

"A creative type? Got anyone special in your life?"

"No. Why, are you offering?" Jane asked with a smirk.

Todd chuckled and looked at her over his shades. That's when she saw his bright, blue eyes that she'd seen in her dreams.

"Nothing I'd like better than a beautiful girl like you to show me around this little town," Todd said with a grin.

"I'm sure I could show a handsome guy like you a fun time," Jane said with a big smile as she got up and took him by the hand as they both left the coffee shop.


	11. HateLove

_**AUTHORS NOTES:** This story is set within the universe of 'The Great And The Good', and references events in that fic, but this is entirely non-canon._

_The character Cassidy Hemming was created by Ognawk_

_**DISCLAIMER:** Daria and all associated characters are owned by MTV. This is for entertainment purposes only and no money or other goods changed hands for this._

* * *

**HATE/LOVE**

It was early in the morning, and Jane Lane was sat up in bed with her cell phone next to her ear, listening to Tom speak. This was a very surreal conversation to her, and one she never in her wildest dreams expected to have, yet here she was, talking about the events of the previous evening with Tom.

"I just can't believe what you're telling me," Tom said, clearly upset, "Of all the people in the world..."

"I know, I know," Jane replied, "I just don't know how to explain it."

"But... just... how?" Tom asked, unable to comprehend the situation.

Jane looked at the lump in the bed next to her as it seemed to move slightly.

"Well, we were arguing. Then we started actually fighting. We were on the floor, one thing led to another and we ended up in bed together.."

"So what happens to us now, Jane?"

"I don't know. I really don't know. It's just, I've never felt as alive or as desired as I did last night. I'm sorry, Tom. Really I am," Jane said with a hint of sadness.

Tom struggled to come up with words, but ended up ending the call instead. Jane sighed and put the cell phone down next to the table. She looked at the bed next to her, as the other occupant moved her head out from under the covers, her short, fire red hair being the first thing Jane saw before her deep, green eyes appeared. They looked at each other and smiled.

"Morning, Cassidy," Jane said.

"Morning, Jane," she replied.

"How's your arm?"

Cassidy groaned slightly and rubbed her arm that was slightly bruised from where Jane hit her with that pipe. It had been a revelation to both of them. For so long, they'd been rivals for Tom's affections. Both of them had dated him but, the previous evening, Cassidy came to confront Jane about her reunion with Tom. In her hysteria, Cassidy tried to attack Jane, but Jane got the better of her. Jane pinned Cassidy down to the floor and, when their eyes met, an entirely different feeling had manifested itself. And now, here they were in bed together.

"It's still a little sore," Cassidy said.

"I'm so sorry about that, I went too far," Jane said apologetically.

"Hey, you were just defending yourself. It's fine."

They both lay there, staring at each other as Jane stroked Cassidy's hair gently as she smiled.

"Mmm, can we stay here for a while? I feel so comfortable," Cassidy asked.

"You can stay here all day if you want. I want you to say here," Jane said with a smile.

Cassidy moved in closer to Jane. "It's good to feel wanted. But I might need someone to kiss my arm better."

Jane grinned. "That, I can do," she said as they both giggled and disappeared under the sheets again.


	12. Worst Superhero Ever

**AUTHORS NOTES:** This was just a random idea that came to me while watching 'Life In The Past Lane'

**DISCLAIMER:** Daria and all associated characters are owned by MTV. This is for entertainment purposes only, and no money or other goods changed hands.

* * *

**WORST SUPERHERO EVER**

It was a peaceful day at the Lawndale Community Bank. People were walking in and out, going about their day. Suddenly, a bunch of masked men burst into the room, wielding sawn off shotguns.

"This is a raid! Everybody get down!" one of the masked men shouted, as everyone panicked and did as they were told.

One of the gang burst in behind the counters and grabbed one of the clerks, pointing the gun in his face.

"Open the vault, and nobody gets hurt," he said.

"Y-y-yes sir," the clerk said as the robber marched him to the vault. After fumbling for a while, he swiped his key card in the vault door and it opened.

"Come on boys! We're in!" he said, as the rest of the gang followed into the vault.

They loaded their bags with money and valuables from the vault, two of the gang standing guard at the doors to make sure no-one made any sudden movements. Once they were satisfied they'd gotten what they wanted, they left.

"Thank you for your co-operation, ladies and gentlemen. And thank you for lining the pockets of those less fortunate than you," the gang leader said as they made their way out to the main area of the bank.

"Where do you think you're going, clowns?" came a voice from outside.

A man with messy black hair came into the bank. He had a yellow body suit on with a retro looking 'S' in the middle of it, along with black gloves, boots and a cape.

"Who the hell are you?" one of the gang asked.

"I'm the classic superhero Sir Swanky, and I'm here to stop you from escaping in the most stylish way I know..."

He suddenly stopped as he noticed his messy hair in a reflection in a mirror on the wall. He quickly walked over and got a closer look and was annoyed.

"Damn! All that flying has wrecked my hair again," Sir Swanky said as he quickly tried to fix his hair.

The robbers looked on in disbelief before the leader quietly motioned the rest of the gang to leave. They all got out of the bank and into their getaway vehicles, fleeing the scene as fast as they could. It was a good minute before Sir Swanky was satisfied with his hair and turned away from the mirror.

"Now, time for you to..." he stopped as he looked around and noticed the robbers had gone and the people were starting to stand up. A teenager walked up to him.

"Where did they all go?" Sir Swanky asked him.

"They got away while you were busy messing with your stupid hair," the teen replied, "Sir Swanky, you are the worst superhero EVER!"


	13. Late Night Snack

**LATE NIGHT SNACK**

Tom was in a state of fear. He was in total darkness. As he looked around, he noticed pairs of glowing eyes all around, and heard the mad whisperings and giggling of various familar voices. In a panic, he ran off into the darkness, hoping to get away from the madness. Suddenly, he ran into some sort of sticky surface. He tried to run away, but was completely stuck in place. He heard some more chuckling and a dim light started to glow. It was now that he realised he was in a giant spider web. He then heard a very distinct voice from his past.

"Well well, if it isn't young Thomas. I'm glad you could join me for dinner."

Tom looked up and saw a spider with larger, circular rimmed glasses skittering down towards him. Then he heard another familiar voice.

"Hold on a second, amiga. I saw him first. He's _my_ snack."

He looked up again and saw another spider with a triangular black haircut descending the other side of the web. As the two spiders got closer, he shook with fear.

"Please, I'm sorry. Don't eat me."

The two spiders chuckled.

"You're not sorry, you're dinner," the spider with the black hair said.

"Hey, you know, we don't have to fight over him," the bespectacled spider said, "There's plenty for both of us to snack on."

"You're right. I think we can share. Just this once," the black haired spider replied as they moved in closer.

* * *

Tom suddenly sat bolt upright in bed in a cold sweat. He looked around him quickly and sighed with relief. He was safe, in his dorm room in Bromwell. He noticed a spider on the wall and quickly grabbed a newspaper from the floor and swatted it. He then laid back down in bed.

"That's the last time I eat grilled cheese before bed."


	14. A Great And Good Christmas 1

_**AUTHORS NOTES: **This is the first of two Christmas shorts based within the universe of 'The Great And The Good'. All original characters were created by Ognawk._

_**DISCLAIMER:** Daria and all associated characters are owned by MTV. This is for entertainment purposes only. No money or other goods have been exchanged for this._

* * *

**A GREAT AND GOOD CHRISTMAS #1**

Daria Morgendorffer was laid out on Jane's bed while she was working on her latest painting. Daria was busy writing something.

"So, got any big plans for Ashley's birthday?" Jane asked.

"Well, we're heading out to Ocean City to see Z-Shift. I managed to get some tickets a while back," Daria replied.

"Ocean City? That's a couple of hours away. You're not planning on driving back after the gig, are you?"

"Um. No, we've booked a hotel room for the night. Might as well make a weekend of it, I guess."

Jane chewed on some cookie dough, deep in thought. "This must be setting you back a few bucks."

"Yeah, well this is his combined birthday and Christmas present. Plus, his parents are chipping in some money for it."

"Guess that's the advantage of a boyfriend with a birthday so close to Christmas," Jane said.

The two of them resumed their activities, with Jane thinking about Daria's plans. Then a smirk formed on her face.

"Did you say you'd booked a hotel room? As in one?" Jane asked.

"Yeah..." Daria replied hesitantly.

Jane chuckled. "So, you're going to go and see his favourite band, and then you're going to take him away to a hotel room to have your evil way with him. He'll love that!"

Daria's face went beet red at that comment. "Jane!" she said as she threw a piece of paper at her friend.

"You're so adorable when you do that," Jane said with a grin.

* * *

Tom Sloane was sat on a bench in downtown Baltimore, looking at his watch. His friend, Ashley Winters, was supposed to be meeting him at 9am and it was almost 9.30am. He looked around again and noticed Ashley trudging towards him, draining an energy drink before tossing the empty can in the trash. Tom got up as he approached.

"Good to see you could finally make it, Winters," Tom said with a smirk.

"Don't even get me started," Ashley grumbled as he and Tom started walking off.

"Not your usually chirpy self, huh?"

"Rough night. Books do not make good pillows."

Tom raised an eyebrow. "That, and they can leave imprints on your face. Don't worry, you can hardly see it."

Ashley glared at Tom. "Funny, Sloane. I ended up sleeping overnight at Daria's."

"Wow, you never told me you were taking that step," Tom replied, "Did they not have any spare pillows for you?"

Ashley groaned. "It wasn't planned. We were on her bed, studying and the next thing we knew, we'd fallen asleep. Then we were woken up by her Mom at 7am, completely freaking out because I'd stayed the night without her knowing."

"Studying? I've heard some terms for it..."

"Anyway," said Ashley, quickly interrupting Tom, "I was sent away in a hurry, leaving Daria to the wolves. I don't want to even think about what they were talking about after I left."

The two of them reached a shop called 'The Baltimore Book Depositary', and Tom opened the door for Ashley to go in.

"So, did your budget for presents for Daria just go up?" Tom asked.

"Maybe just a little bit," Ashley replied as they both entered the shop.

The elderly owner of the store smiled brightly when she saw the two boys enter.

"Thomas! So nice to see you again!" she said.

"Morning, Agnes," Tom replied with a smile, "How's business?"

"Oh you know, not too bad. How's your family?"

"Very good. We're heading out to the Cove later this week."

While they were conversing, Ashley was looking around the shelves at all the old books that were neatly organised.

"Oh, this is my friend Ashley, he's looking for a present for his girlfriend," Tom said, pointing Ashley out.

"Oh, how wonderful. Is your young lady a big reader?" Agnes asked.

"Oh yeah, she's a real book junky," Ashley replied with a broad smile, "If I ever brought her into this place, she'd never leave again."

Agnes chuckled. "Ah, she sounds like me when I was your age."

Ashley scanned the shelves for a while before eventually finding something he liked the look of.

"Oh, she'd like this," he said, taking the book off the shelf.

* * *

Daria and Ashley had made their way to the hotel after the Z-Shift concert, and they were making their way to their hotel room, which was on the ground floor.

"You certainly know how to treat a guy," Ashley said with a smirk.

"Glad you liked it. But just to let you know, I'm afraid I never did finish those exotic dance lessons," she replied with a smirk of her own.

"Dammit," Ashley replied, snapping his fingers in mock disappointment.

He opened the door to the room and let Daria go in first. As they walked in, he switched the light on and Daria looked at the bed.

"Oh. It's a double, I was expecting twin beds," Daria said.

Ashley walked up behind her and gently put his arms around her waist, kissing her on the cheek. "Maybe my folks assumed we'd want something like this."

"Yeah, I guess," Daria said, still looking at the bed.

Ashley let go of her, put his backpack down and walked into the bathroom. "I'll sleep on the floor if you want. It wouldn't be the first time."

Daria still hadn't moved from the spot. She was thinking back to the lecture on responsibility her mother had given her after she found Daria and Ashley asleep on her bed that morning.

"No, it's fine. It's not like we haven't shared a bed before."

Ashley chuckled. "Well, at least this time my head can rest on something a little more comfortable than a book."

Ashley woke up the following morning and was greeted by the sight of Daria lightly snoozing, her auburn hair falling over her face slightly. _So beautiful_, he thought with a smile as he brushed her hair out of her eyes and gently stroked it, as she stirred and slowly opened her eyes, smiling upon seeing him.

* * *

"Good morning," she said.

"I'd say it is," Ashley replied with a grin.

She leaned in close and gave him a gentle kiss as they lay there for a moment, looking at each other.

"This is much better than falling asleep while reading," Ashley said.

"Yeah. Having book imprints on your face isn't a good look for you," Daria replied with a smirk.

"I don't plan on making a habit of it."

They enjoyed a long kiss together and lay there for a while, just happy to be so close to each other.

"Well, I guess we'd better head home before Mom freaks out again," Daria said with a sigh.

"Yeah, I guess we should."

* * *

A few days later, Ashley turned up at the Morgendorffer house. He knocked on the door and Helen quickly answered.

"Hello, Ashley, Merry Christmas!" she said with a smile.

"Thanks Mrs Morg..."

"Daria's in her room. Don't be afraid to give me a shout if either of you need anything," she said as he stepping inside.

"Erm, thanks," Ashley said, as he jogged upstairs. He knocked on Daria's bedroom door.

"Abandon all hope, ye who enter here," Daria said within.

Ashley smirked and opened the door. "Well, I am pretty hopeless," he said as he walked in and saw Daria sat on the bed.

"Merry Festivus," he said as he handed her a present.

"Happy Humbug," she replied as she took it and opened it to find a First Edition version of Death in Venice. She smiled as she looked at it.

"Wow. You didn't have to do this," she said.

"Well, after giving your mother a fright and earning you a lecture on responsibility, I figured I should make it up to you somehow."

"Thanks, this is great," she said with a smile as she walked over and gave him a quick kiss, "Oh, I've got another surprise for you. Close your eyes."

Ashley did what he was told. "Another surprise? You spoil me, m'lady."

He kept his eyes closed as he heard some noises coming from the room. As much as he wanted to peek, he didn't.

"OK, you can open them now."

Ashley opened his eyes to see Daria at eye level with him. He looked down to see she was stood on a small crate. He then looked up to notice she was holding some mistletoe above his head. He chuckled as he was reminded of something.

"Care to share the joke?" Daria asked.

"Just thinking of something that happened at my old school. I'll tell you about it later," he said, before taking her free hand and giving her a deep kiss.

At that moment, Helen opened the door and came into the room.

"Daria, I just wondered..." she stopped when she saw them kissing, "Oh my God!" she said as she turned and quickly left the room. Daria shook her head and then rested it against Ashley's shoulder.

"Great, she's going to go into paranoia mode again," Daria said.

Ashley chuckled and put his arm around her. "Oh well, she had to find out about us kissing some day."


	15. A Great And Good Christmas 2

_**AUTHORS NOTES: **This is the second of two Christmas shorts based within the universe of 'The Great And The Good'. All original characters were created by Ognawk._

**__****DISCLAIMER:** _Daria and all associated characters are owned by MTV. This is for entertainment purposes only. No money or other goods have been exchanged for this._

* * *

**A GREAT AND GOOD CHRISTMAS #2**

Cassidy Hemming was sat on a plane with her mother Melissa and stepfather Phillip. The three of them were flying out to Switzerland for Christmas to spend time at an exclusive ski resort. Cassidy was tired and leaning her head against the side of the plane. A combination of excitement and nervousness has contributed to a lack of sleep the night before. She was looking forward to spending a few days away from home, and forgetting about her troubles. She ran her fingers through her red hair, which ran slightly past her shoulders, and sighed as she sat up slightly.

"Everything OK, dear?" Melissa asked, smiling at her daughter.

"Yes, just a little tired, that's all," Cassidy replied, as she took a sip from the coffee on her table.

"Well, we're going to get in late, so I expect we'll just grab a bite to eat and then go to bed once we arrive," Phillip said.

"There are a couple of nice restaurants around town. I'm sure we'll find something," Melissa said.

Cassidy just smiled slightly as she looked at her mood ring, then went back to leaning against the window.

* * *

The chalet the family were staying at was one of the more modest ones in the resort, with icicles lining the various overhangs. Cassidy was stood in her room, looking in the mirror and checking her outfit that her mother had bought her as a Christmas present. The denim jacket and cuffed jeans were a different style from her usual dress style, with a yellow tank top that left a very slight bare midriff. She actually liked the new look, and preferred it to the old yellow and white striped dress that was a previous favourite. But then, the dress did remind her of _him_. She shook her head, put on her thick overcoat and walked out of the room, heading for the front door.

"I'm going to check out the local bands. I'll be back later!" she called to Melissa and Phillip.

"OK, honey. Have fun!" Melissa replied as Cassidy left the room.

The evening was crisp and cool as she crunched her way through the snow, as more flakes were falling lightly around her. As she reached one of the entertainment buildings, she stopped outside to admire everything. Such a beautiful place to be. She kicked the snow off her shoes and made her way inside, fetching herself some cocoa and watching a local guitar band who were doing a lot of up tempo Christmas songs.

Cassidy watched for a while and was enjoying herself. As she took a last sip of cocoa, she heard a voice behind her.

"Quite a neat little band."

Cassidy looked around to notice a boy who looked about her age, with short black hair, blue eyes and a nice smile. He was dressed in a light blue sweater and black pants and was drinking some coffee.

"Yeah, they're pretty good," Cassidy said as she turned back to the band and watched with amusement as some people were up on the dance floor. There was applause as the band finished playing.

"Thank you ladies and gentlemen. We hope you're having a great time. This next song is called 'Fairytale of New York'. Thank you very much."

"This is one of my favourites," the boy said, "I love dancing to this. Would you care to join me?"

Cassidy looked at him. "I'm not much of a dancer."

"Me neither, but it's still a fun song to move to, especially with a pretty girl like you."

Cassidy looked at him. He seems nice enough. "Oh why not, I need to cut a little loose," she said, "Do you have a name?"

"Tristan. You?"

"Cassidy."

Tristan offered his hand to her. "Well, Cassidy, shall we?"

Cassidy smiled and took his hand. "Absolutely."

* * *

The pair stayed up for a few songs before leaving the dance floor and getting some more cocoa. They found a table and sat down, both smiling.

"I should do that more often," Cassidy said, genuinely feeling good.

"Yeah, thanks for dancing with me. It was great fun," Tristan replied.

The two of them sat for a while, just listening to the band and watching the dancers having fun, some perhaps a little bit intoxicated.

"You know, I'm glad I found you here. I'm having a really nice evening," Tristan said, smiling at Cassidy.

"Yeah, me too," she said, returning the smile.

"Well, I'm here for a few days, and there's a lot to do here. I'd really like to spend some more time with you while I'm here. If you want to, that is."

Cassidy thought about it for a moment. Tristan seemed nice enough, and she was having a lot of fun. "Sure. I'd like that."

* * *

A couple of days later, Cassidy was sat with Melissa and Phillip at the breakfast table. Cassidy took a bite out of her toast and chased it down with a gulp of coffee. Melissa noticed the smile on her daughter's face and smiled herself. _I'm glad she's enjoying herself_, Melissa thought.

"We haven't seen much of you, Cassidy. Are you having a good time?" Melissa asked.

"Oh yes, Mom. I met this boy named Tristan when I went to see some music, and we've been spending time together. He's really nice," Cassidy replied.

"That's good to hear. Got any plans for today?" Phillip asked.

"We were going to have a look around the stores later. There's supposed to be some really nice things there," Cassidy said.

"That's wonderful, honey. Just be careful, OK?" Melissa said.

Cassidy looked at her for a moment, catching the concerned tone in her voice. "Don't worry. It's just a holiday thing. No last names. I just want to enjoy myself."

Melissa smiled. "I'm glad to hear it."

* * *

Tristan and Cassidy were making their way back from the shops, Tristan with a backpack carrying various items that Cassidy had bought.

"Somehow, I didn't peg you for a big shopper," Tristan said, "It's a good job I brought a backpack with me."

"A little retail therapy is good for the soul," Cassidy responded with a smirk, "Besides, even private school girls need to shop."

"Must be a gender thing," Tristan replied.

Cassidy stopped for a second and quickly scooped some snow up into a ball before throwing it at Tristan, hitting him in the side of his head.

"You'll pay for that, little missy!" Tristan replied with a grin as he scooped up some snow himself.

"Not if you can't catch me," Cassidy replied as she started running back to her family's chalet, Tristan giving chase and throwing snowballs at her.

He managed to hit her and grabbed hold of her in front of the chalet as she laughed. Melissa was watching from the window and smiled at seeing her daughter so happy for the first time in a while.

* * *

It was going to be Tristan's final night in Switzerland before he returned home, and Cassidy decided she wanted to do something for him to remember him by, and she was sure the outfit she was wearing would do the trick. She looked at herself in the mirror and smiled at the ensemble she'd bought last year but never got to wear, and was glad to see it still fitted her petite frame.

She was dressed in a short, green top that was mostly hidden by a red waistcoat and matching short skirt, held up by a black belt. She had long green socks and red and white Santa style boots on. It was a more daring outfit than usually wore, but she wanted to be more adventurous. She finished it off with a Santa hat and put a long, thick overcoat on before she headed out.

She met Tristan at the place where they first met, where tonight they had a dance party with a DJ. She found him sat at a table and walked over to him, smiling as he saw her approach.

"Glad you could make it," he said.

"I had a great time with you last time I was here, I wouldn't miss this," she replied.

As she slipped her coat off, she smirked as she saw Tristan's stunned reaction to her outfit. She stood for a moment while waiting for him to pick his jaw up off the floor.

"W... wow!" Tristan said, the only word he could muster.

"I'll take it that you like what you see," she said, with a wink.

"Y... yes," he replied, clearing his throats, "Erm, shall we?"

She smiled as he took her hand and motioned to the dance floor. "Lead the way."

* * *

After a long night of dancing, the two of them headed for the exit. They stopped by the door as Tristan put the camera he had away.

"Thanks for agreeing to the photo, Cassidy," Tristan explained, having got her to agree to a photo of her in her costume by the Christmas tree, "I certainly won't forget it."

"I'm glad you liked it," she replied with a smile.

He reached into his pocket and pulled a long, red box out of it. "Here, you gave me something to remember you by, I wanted to return the favour."

Cassidy took the box and looked at him curiously. She opened it and was stunned to find a tear shaped ruby pendant inside, suspended on a gold chain.

"Oh my God!" It... it's beautiful! You really didn't have to," she said in shock.

"May I?" he said, taking the pendant and fastening it around her neck. She held the ruby in her hand and stared at it.

"Thank you," she said, hugging him, "Thank you for everything this week. I've really needed it."

"It's not a problem. Nothing is for such a nice, pretty girl."

Cassidy smiled and looked up at the ceiling, staring at something. Curious, Tristan also looked up to notice a mistletoe wreath hanging above them. He looked at Cassidy, who met his gaze and smiled.

"May I kiss you?" Tristan asked.

Cassidy's smile got wider. "Such a gentleman. Yes, you may."

Tristan smiled and bent down slightly, gently kissing Cassidy on the lips. He then took her by the hand.

"We'd better go," he said.

"Yeah," she replied with a tinge of sadness as they stepped outside.

* * *

Cassidy, Melissa and Phillip were sat on the plane home, Cassidy smiling as she looked out of the window. Melissa leaned over slightly.

"You certainly seemed to have had a nice time," Melissa quietly said to her daughter.

"Yeah, I needed it. Thanks Mom," Cassidy replied, smiling at her mother.

"I'm just glad to see you enjoyed yourself, and that's a beautiful pendant," she said.

Cassidy looked down at the pendant and touched it. She hoped that one day she'd meet someone like Tristan again, but the pendant would always remind her of him. "Yeah. Yeah, it really is."


	16. A Capital Honeymoon

_**AUTHORS NOTES: **Part of the first hotel scene in this short was written by LongSnakeMoan. Ashley Winters was created by Ognawk for 'The Great And The Good' and must not be used without permission. Thank you._

_**DISCLAIMER: **Daria, Beavis & Butt-Head and all related characters are owned by MTV. This is for entertainment purposes only. No money or other goods have changed hands._

* * *

**A CAPITAL HONEYMOON**

Daria and Jane were sat in the bar at Logan International Airport. Since they'd both graduated from college at Raft and Boston Fine Arts College respectively, the two friends had stayed in Boston and made it their home. Daria adjusted her oval rimmed glasses as she typed something into a computer, while Jane was sat opposite her, smiling as she gazed at the ring on her finger.

"I never had you pegged as the marriage type, Jane, especially given Summer and Wind's disasters," Daria said with a smirk.

"I wasn't," Jane replied with a sigh, "But sometimes you just meet someone who changes your whole outlook on life, you know?"

Daria looked up from her laptop and smiled. "I know exactly what you mean. I've said it before, and I'll say it again, but I've learned that the important thing is that you like the same pizza toppings."

At that point, two men approached the pair with drinks trays. One, a big man with long, blonde hair and stubble on his face, was dressed very casually and had a few bottles of beer and a vodka and cola on his tray. The other was tall and lean with short, light brown hair and smart-casual clothing, and had two large glasses of wine and two whiskeys on his tray. The blonde sat next to Jane, while the brown haired man sat next to Daria.

"Thanks Todd, honey," Jane said as she kissed him and took the vodka and one of the beers.

"No problem, baby," Todd replied as he grabbed one of the beer bottles and downed it in one shot.

"What wine is this, Ashley?" Daria asked as she took one of the wine glasses.

"Just a Pino Grigiot, nothing fancy," Ashley replied, "This is an airport bar, after all."

Daria took a sip. "Eh, I've had worse."

Jane laughed. "You've become a real drinks snob, you know that Daria?"

Daria held her glass up. "I just like good wine, that's all. It's not my fault the good wines happen to cost money."

"Tell me about it," Ashley said as he leaned back in his chair with a smirk, "She keeps a bottle of vintage Portuguese Port in the cabinet at home. I daren't touch it on pain of death."

"You and your fancy wines," Todd said, downing another bottle of beer, "I'll just stick to beer."

"Todd, honey," Jane said, bringing one of her legs on top of Todd's lap and leaning against him, "You might want to go easy on that stuff. Don't want them to stop you getting on the plane."

"Lucky I only got the three, then," Todd replied as he turned to his wife and kissed her passionately.

Ashley smiled slightly and whispered to Daria "I think we've lost them until the plane gets called."

* * *

Daria was sat at her seat on the plane, reading through a sightseers guide book to London, the destination for the two couples. Ashley left the bathroom and returned to his seat next to Daria, noting the two empty seats behind them and the slightly relieved looking man in the third seat.

"Where'd Todd and Jane go?" he asked.

"To the bathroom," Daria replied, not looking up from her book.

Ashley contemplated it for a second. "Hang on, there are only two bathrooms on this plane, and I didn't see either of them waiting outside."

Daria looked up from her book and raised an eyebrow at Ashley. He met her look.

"Oh," he said, opening his own book before a realisation hit him and he looked at Daria again. "Ohhh!"

Daria nodded and returned to her reading, as Ashley did the same. After a moment, another thought dawned on him.

"That's gonna be a tight squeeze."

* * *

The two couples arrived at their hotel, ready for their joint honeymoon. Checking their room numbers, they discovered they were next door to each other. They reached Jane and Todd's room first, who seemed to be in a rush to get there. Daria and Ashley entered their room next. It was a fairly spacious room, with a large, four poster bed, a writing desk and television. Ashley wheeled the suitcases into the room and sat on the bed, noting how comfortable it was.

"I could get used to this," Ashley said as he grinned at his wife.

"I'm sure you could," Daria said, smiling in return, "But we're not spending the entire week in here."

"Well, shoot," Ashley replied, snapping his fingers in mock disappointment as Daria went into the bathroom. He unpacked the London sightseeing book and had a flick through.

"We should go to HMS Belfast. I'm sure your Dad would love that," he said.

"He wants a souvenir from it. The tackier the better, probably," Daria replied.

Ashley put the book down and walked over to the desk, picking up the hotel information leaflet and having a look at the facilities.

"Hey, this place has room service," he said as Daria emerged from the bathroom.

Daria looked at the leaflet and frowned.

"Something wrong, honey?"

Daria motioned to the Ianuzzis room next door. "I don't think we'll seeing much of them this week."

As soon as the words came out of her mouth, the brief second of silence was shattered by the muffled sounds of groans and gasps of desire. Ashley stared in shock as he realised how thin the wall separating the two rooms was as the noise began to grow louder and Daria rolled her eyes.

"Hearing them on the other hand..."

* * *

Daria and Ashley stood in the front of HMS Belfast, looking at the guns at the front of the ship. Daria was taking photos, while Ashley was reading through a pamphlet about the ship.

"So, according to this, those guns are pointed in the direction of the London Gateway services, and have the range to hit it," Ashley said.

"So if the food's bad there, people can come back here and destroy the place," Daria said, putting the camera in her bag.

"Blowing up service stations," Ashley replied with a smirk, "Daria, you're such an old romantic."

Once the two of them had left the ship, they bought some coffee and churros and sat on a bench by the river Thames, watching the boats sail by. They got up close and kissed before leaning against each other, smiling and content.

"I love you, Daria," Ashley said as he gently stroked her long, auburn hair.

"I love you too," she replied as she rested on his shoulder.

* * *

Jane was feeling content as she snuggled up close to Todd in the bed, slowly tracing her finger around his chest as he had his arm around her.

"This is a heck of way to spend a honeymoon," she said.

"Damn right, it is," Todd said as he tilted Jane's head upwards and they entered into a long passionate kiss.

They broke off and smiled at each other. "Don't know about you, honey, but I've really worked up an appetite."

Todd picked the phone up from the bedside table. "Pizza and beer work for you?"

Jane grinned and kissed his shoulder. "You sure know how to treat a lady."

* * *

Daria and Ashley were walking around the National Gallery, hand in hand, admiring the paintings on display. A few times, Ashley would go up as close as he could to the paintings to admire the brushwork before returning to Daria.

"I want an art gallery in the house when I grow up," Ashley said with a grin.

"You're as bad as Jane," Daria replied, shaking her head with a slight smile, "But I'll allow it if I can have a library."

"You drive a hard bargain," Ashley said, holding her hand.

As they moved into the next room, they noticed Todd and Jane stood around, Jane admiring the paintings much the same way Ashley had been, while Todd was looking on.

"So, you decided to come out of your room?" Ashley asked with a grin, "What happened? Did the cleaners kick you out?"

"As it happens, I left a couple of important items at home, so I had to go out and get them," Jane replied, "Plus I couldn't leave London without looking at one art gallery."

"What were you missing that was important enough for you two to get out of bed?"

Daria groaned and buried her head against Ashley's shoulder. "You had to ask."

"Well, let's see. Handcuffs, boots..."

"OK, I think that's all I needed to hear," Daria replied, as Jane sniggered.

"Good to see I can still embarrass you sometimes, amiga," Jane said as she smirked, "Don't worry, I'll let you borrow them when I'm done."

"Jane!" Daria said in shock as Ashley stifled a laugh.

"Gotcha!" Jane replied.

Meanwhile, Todd had walked over to one of the curators stood near a Picasso painting.

"Hey there, buddy," Todd said.

"Yes, sir, how can I help you?" the curator asked.

"Say I wanted to steal this here Picasso painting and sell it, how much d'ya think I'd get for it?"

"Excuse me?" the curator said, confused by this well built American.

"Y'know, if I was to sell it at an auction or something?"

Jane walked over, along with Daria and Ashley, having heard Todd talking to the curator.

"Oh, don't mind him, he's not really going to rob anything. He's just making conversation," Jane said, grabbing on to Todd's arm and pulling him away from the confused curator.

"Something wrong, baby?" Todd asked.

"You're a bad man, Todd Ianuzzi," Jane said.

Todd smirked. "And don't you just love it?"

Jane returned the smirk and led him out. "I know just what to do with bad men."

Ashley watched on, shaking his head with a wry smile, while Daria rolled her eyes.

"When do you think we'll see them again?" Ashley asked.

"When we check out," Daria replied.

* * *

It was late on New Year's Eve, and Daria was hurrying out of a wine bar, Ashley following slightly behind.

"Come on, Ashley, we need to get a good spot for the fireworks," she said.

"Coming," he replied, catching up to her and holding her hand as the pair walked towards the river.

They made their way through the riverside crowd and found a quieter area where they huddled up tight, arms around each other's waists. They stood around for a while, and started chatting to an English couple about their relationship, how they'd met as teenagers in a grunge club, both graduated from Raft College, and were now on their honeymoon.

They all joined in the countdown to midnight, at which point they watched in awe as fireworks of all shapes and sizes went off. Daria and Ashley then embraced and kissed.

"Happy New Year!"

"Happy New Year!"

* * *

Jane and Todd lay in bed, Jane watching with a smile as her husband softly snored. _I think you've earned a rest, honey,_ she thought to herself. Her attention was grabbed by some familiar voices chattering outside. Jane slipped out of bed, put a bathrobe on and, bleary eyed, walked to the door and opened it.

"Do you mind keeping it down, you two? Some of us are trying to sleep," she said with a smirk.

Daria and Ashley were near the door, Daria leaning against Ashley as he held her up.

"She's... had a few too many, I think," Ashley said.

"Nonshh... nonsense, I'm fine," Daria slurred as she giggled slightly.

Jane folded her arms. "You're not going to see the fireworks in that state, are you?"

Ashley looked at Jane confusedly. "The fireworks already happened. It was beautiful."

Jane looked surprised. "You're kidding!"

"Nope, look!" Ashley said, pulling his phone out and showing the time to Jane, "It's past 2am."

"Damn! We missed it!" Jane said, frowning.

"Oh I'm shhhure you were making your own fireworks, Jane," Daria said, smiling.

Jane couldn't help smiling in return as she looked back to Todd still asleep on the bed. "You could say that, compadre."

* * *

On the plane back to Boston, Daria and Ashley were sat next to each other, Daria leaning against Ashley as he took a sip from his coffee. In the seats directly in front, Todd and Jane were leaning against each other, snoring away as Ashley chuckled.

"How long do you think they'll be asleep for?" Ashley asked.

"I don't think the plane crashing could wake them right now," Daria replied as Ashley lifted her hand up and kissed it.

The woman sat next to Jane glared over to the sleeping couple next to her as she tried to read her book. Ashley leaned across to her.

"Trust me, ma'am, if they weren't sleeping, they'd be all over each other right now," he said.

The woman's eyes widened slightly. "Really?"

"Newlyweds," Daria replied as the woman shook her head and went back to her book.

Within a few minutes, Daria had also fallen asleep as Ashley gently stroked her hair.


End file.
